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Commentary: RiskFirst’s Michael Carse, DB Pensions Product Manager, is interviewed by US magazine, BenefitsPRO, on the importance of having the rights tools in place to understand the market in order to select optimal de-risking strategies

In the U.S., market factors are converging to make pension risk transfer more attractive than ever. Here’s a Q&A with Michael Carse, DB Pensions Product Manager, RiskFirst, about some of the drivers of de-risking for U.S. plans, what constitutes best practice for implementation, and how technology can support plans as they seek to implement complex solutions.

Q: What market factors in the U.S. are currently shaping pension plans’ de-risking decisions? MC: While any de-risking decision should take into account a pension plan’s specific situation, there are three key market factors currently at play that will have an influence: strong recent performance in equity markets – notwithstanding recent volatility – legislative reform in tax and accounting, and reducing variable-rate PBGC premiums. All of these provide a catalyst for plan sponsors to actively revisit their de-risking strategies.